The conference was a collaboration of researchers and policy analysts from a variety of fields.

To increase the effectiveness of biodiversity, ecosystem services and mitigation mapping for influencing the planning of infrastructure in Asia and Africa, Duke University and Duke Kunshan University jointly hosted the Belt and Road Biodiversity Mapping Workshop. The workshop aimed to align the efforts and data of concerned institutions, reduce duplication of work, and standardize methods for the mapping of biodiversity and ecosystem services in relation to the BRI. This workshop brought experts together in order to explore the most effective ways to combine biodiversity, ecosystem services, and infrastructure project data. Workshop attendees also planned for effective ways to get resulting biodiversity information into the hands of the proper decision makers. This workshop represented one in a series of workshops which was held at DKU on related, but distinct elements of the Duke Green Belt and Road Initiative.

This three-day workshop included government officials from China and key US and China think tanks and NGO representatives who focus on using the resulting mapping data. The workshop also provided opportunities for environmental students from the MEM and iMEP programs to engage in the biodiversity mapping processes.

Project Leads: Stuart Pimm, Ph.D., stuart.pimm@duke.edu; Elizabeth Losos, Ph.D. elizabeth.losos@duke.edu; Lydia Olander, Ph.D. lydia.olander@duke.edu; Sara Mason sara.mason@duke.edu; Binbin Li, Ph.D., Binbin.li@duke.edu; Kathinka Furst, Ph.D., kathinka.furst@duke.edu; Moon Joon Kim, Ph.D., moonjoon.kim@dukekunshan.edu.cn.